I knew the GOP convention speakers would come out swinging, but I never I imagined they would take it to the gutter politics level that we saw in St. Paul last week.

In Denver, every speaker -to a man or woman- gave Sen. John McCain the respect he deserved as a former military man, and as a sitting U.S. Senator.  Most of them even had an applause line  thrown in for good measure.

But last week, I watched Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin take the Republican Party to shameful new lows -even for them.  And it was all around Senator Barack Obama’s history as a community organizer.

Forget for a moment the disrespectful nature for which they treated Sen. Obama.  That’s to be expected, and as a matter of fact he said he’s been called “far worse” on the basketball court.  What was shameful was the disregard that so-called “America’s  Mayor” and Alaska’s governer have for men and women who call themselves community orgainzers.  Here’s how Giuliani got it kicked off:

• On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? He worked — I said — I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.

Mayor Giuliani finds it to be a problem that a young, twenty something Barack Obama would go out into the community an help American citizens to help themselves.  What was even worse was how he played it as a joke and the Republican delegates took a 30 second laugh break.

Then after Giuliani’s act was over, the self-proclaimed pit bull with lipstick furthered the theme:

• I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.

Gov. Palin downs community organizing in one breath, and props up her stint in the PTA when another.  This is the usual trickery that we’ve become accustomed to from the right.

I’d like to take a moment to thank the community organizers who go by many names and titles.  Pastor, advocate, program director and the like .  They work in community centers, churches, homes, and shelters.  While I wish there wasn’t the need for community building it’s there and real people are on the front lines making it happen everyday.

So while Gov. Palin is out shooting a moose that can’t shoot back, community organizers are trying to curtail gun violence in neighborhoods where citizens are cut down by bullets all too often.  While Gov. Palin and the Soccer Moms try to figure out who’s turn it is to bring snacks, community organizers are working with citizens to see whose turn is it to lead the neighborhood watch.

You have to wonder how the decent and most times honorable John McCain could stand for such slanders against hardworking Americans.  You also have to wonder just how much juice McCain has in his own campaign these days.  I was going to start pushing the GOP ticket as Palin/McCain, but it’s kind of hard when the VP nominee has gone into hiding (by the way we’re on Day 10 of no media and no interviews).

Community organizers really don’t need a day of blogging for justice, but Sarah P., Rudy G. and the GOP do.   They need to respect the men and women who lay it on the line with little reward or recognition.  So on today, Dallas South and the AfroSpear would like to let all of the community organizers know who much we appreciate the work that you do.  And to the haters we say….go head and hate.

OTHER BLOGGING FOR JUSTICE PARTICIPANTS

1. 411Mania.com
2. African American Political Pundit
3. Allegory in a Chokehold
4. Ancestral Energies
5. Black Political Thought
6. Community Organizers Against Sarah Palin
7. Dallas South Blog
8. From My Brown Eyed View
9. Illvox: Anarchist of Color
10. Jack & Jill Politics
11. MicroBrother
12. Radical Russ via Pam’s House Blend
13. Slant Truth 2.0
14. Springer’s Journal
15. Sojourner’s Place
16. The ‘D’ Spot
17. UltraVioletUnderground
18. USA Today
19. We Are All Community Organizers
20. Young Black Professional Guide